Application of membrane processes for the filtration of extra virgin olive oil

The oil extracted from olive paste is a turbid and opalescent must and contains impurities that can compromise its quality since they facilitate hydrolysis, fermentation and rancidity. Although filtration of this oil removes these otherwise damaging substances, it can also cause small changes in the oil. In this paper membrane cross-flow filtration is proposed as a different and innovative filtration process for extra virgin olive oil. The preliminary results reported here show that the removal of damaging substances through membrane filtration can be achieved in a single step, without the addition of filter aids (therefore reducing oil loss). Membrane filtration also does not alter the chemical composition of the oil.